NCIS- Temper Tantrum
by Elizieee
Summary: Tempers flare at NCIS, after one of Tony's mistimed jokes. Meanwhile, a Marine Petty Officer turns up dead, and the case gets delayed, when the team's mix-up affects them at work. A turn of events leaves one more dead, and NCIS Special Agent and Team Leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs reflects to put things right. Can the team catch the killer before one more life is taken?
1. Tony

**Pre author's note: I actually uploaded this just now, but there was a formatting issue, so I'm uploading it again:)**

**Author's note: Okay, hey guys, wait! Don't leave the story yet! Here's a few things I would like to say. I actually wrote this about 4-5 years ago? (Yes, I know it's been really long!) Right, so I recently found this in a folder where I put a whole bunch of fanfics in, and I really enjoyed writing this last time, so hopefully you'll enjoy this too! This is old, so Ziva is still on the team (she always will be part of the team anyway) and there's a whole load of ships (Tiva and etc !) and scenes you wished you saw every week on your screen.**

**So... please check this out! Thanks!**

**(P.S. I was pretty literally like 12 or 13 years old when I wrote this so this might not be the best language ever? But I will be editing before I post it, and it's actually complete so I'll update like every week so hang around, pretty please?:D)**

"Parrotfish." Ziva said, tapping her lip with a pencil, as she watched Tony walk jauntily out of the elevator, a wide smile plastered across his face as he whipped off his shades, and straightened his usual suit. As he neared the squad room, she abandoned the pencil and whipped back to face her computer monitor, and began to tap away at her keyboard, as McGee was doing. Goodness knew what would happen to Tony's already inflated ego if he spotted her looking at him.

So she ignored him, focusing hard on her emails, murmuring an irritated swear when she saw the amount of trash waiting for her, and began the slow, arduous task of filtering through and deleting them all. _Maybe Tony will settle down soon, _she thought. _Yeah, right._

Smiling to herself with a small, dismissive shake of her head, Ziva continued to trawl through the emails, grateful that she had not been assigned any paperwork. A quick glance at her colleague proved her earlier thoughts to be correct.

Tony's smile, which was beginning to look _very _creepy, was still on his face, and Ziva could _swear _that he was bouncing on his chair like a child with a serious case of the sugar rush. It was a few seconds before she realized that the clicking keys of the remaining keyboard had stopped.

"Okay, what is it, Tony? McGee asked, in his _'I'm tired of you but I'm asking although I don't give a damn'_ tone. Ziva watched, her slender fingers resting on her keyboard. Tony's gleeful eyes darted between his coworkers, and put on a very unTony-like innocent face.

"What is _what, _McGee?" he asked. McGee rolled his eyes, and gritted his teeth, in a way anyone would if they were dealing with Tony.

"Why are you so happy today?"

"Maybe his new toy came in the mail this morning." Ziva mused, cocking her head to one side, smiling amusedly.

"Bingo, David!" Tony exclaimed, pointing at her cockily. "Give the girl a prize!" McGee still looked on, his face a total opposite of Ziva's.

"Seriously, Tony. Why are you so happy today?" he asked.

"Well, McGoo, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, didn't he?" Tony said sadly, as he tried a wounded puppy look on him. It did not work. Ziva looked on, something interesting was going to happen, she just knew it. "But my new _toy _can make you happier."

"Hypnotism?" Ziva scoffed, as Tony pulled out the classic hypnotism tool: the coin on a string. "Hypnotism is going to make McGee happier?" she paused. "I'm guessing that you saw this in a movie once." McGee did not look much happier, as Tony presented the apparatus in a 'Ta-da!' manner.

"Tony, stop fooling around. We all know that you can't hypnotize _any _of us with a coin tied to a string." He said drily.

"Yes I can." Was Tony's cheeky reply.

"Prove it." Tony smiled to himself.

"Well then, ladies and gentlemen-although there's only one lady-give it up for our first volunteer, NCIS Agent Tim McGee!" Tony said in his best '_Ryan Seacrest ' _tone. "Now, Agent McGee, I want you to stare at this coin."

"This is crazy." McGee protested. "I'm not doing it."

"Come on, McGee, according to you, I can't hypnotize anyone with this coin. What do _you _have to lose?" Tony reasoned. "If it doesn't work, I'm the one getting the humiliation, not you."

McGee thought about the odds. There was _no _way it would work. "Fine." He finally relented, and Tony smiled.

"Look at the coin, follow it. Every time it swings, you're gonna feel more relaxed." McGee rolled his eyes, resigned to the fact that he was going to be Tony's guinea pig yet again, but fixed his green eyes on the coin. Ziva stared; face cracking into a smile, as she rested her heads on her hands.

Tony swung the coin, back and forth, and McGee continued staring. "Tony…" Ziva started, but was silenced by a finger to the lip from Tony. He caught the coin in mid-swing, and smiled triumphantly at Ziva.

"Let me present the new Tim McGee." Ziva climbed out of her chair, towards the stone faced McGee, who was still staring glassy-eyed at where Tony's coin had been less than a minute ago. She waved her hand in front of his face, but he did not respond.

"You kidding me?" she asked. Tony returned, with a thick, black, permanent marker in his hand. He wrenched the cover off, and began to stencil a mustache onto McGee's face. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?"

"Shh…" Tony said, running the marker over the mustache again to darken it. He offered the marker to Ziva. "Anything you want to draw on him?"

"You're mean, Tony." Ziva said, and headed back to her desk.

"I'll take that as a no." he said. Gibbs walked briskly into the squadroom, the usual coffee cup in hand.

"Got a dead Marine, grab your gear." Tony and Ziva rushed to get their guns, bags and badges, trying to make it before their boss made it to the other side of the office. Gibbs stopped halfway, and the two nearly ran into him. He turned. "McGee!" No response from McGee, and Tony and Ziva could feel the annoyance leaking out from their boss. "MCGEE!" he roared, but still got no response. Other agents were looking now. "DiNozzo!" he said accusingly.

"Waking McGee up, boss." He said, walking towards the statue-like McGee, but stoped halfway, and turned. "Um.., I don't know how."

"Ziva." Gibbs said. "You're up." Ziva smiled, and headed towards McGee's desk, pushing past Tony. She paused, stretching her fingers, and gave McGee a sudden tight slap across his left cheek.

"Argh!" McGee yelled, and shot an angry look at Tony and Ziva. "What was _that _for?!"

"You missed Gibbs' signal to 'grab your gear', McGee." Tony said, trying to act like the angel of the entire situation. Ziva elbowed Tony in the ribs, and he winced and rubbed his chest, mouthing 'ow'.

"McGee, if I were you right now, I would grab my gear and go before Gibbs decides to put a bullet into my skull." Ziva said calmly. McGee still looked at her, dazed, as he processed what she had said. "Do you understand what I am saying, McGee?"

"Yeah, yeah." McGee said, pulling out his gun and badge, and hefted his bag onto his shoulders. He glared at Tony. "I hate you." They walked towards Gibbs.

"That's _really _mature, McGee." Tony said, half jogging past the boss into the elevator, where Ziva was already waiting.

"McGee, I really hope that you know something that can remove black permanent marker." Gibbs said, before walking to the elevator. McGee squinted into the glass at his reflection, and saw the thick black mustache stenciled on his face.

"TONY!" he screeched.

**A/N: With this story, I was trying to stay as true to an NCIS episode (one from the past anyway), with the comical opening of sorts. Really hope you like this, thank you so much for reading, and do share, vote, or comment (Tell me if you liked it, give me some feedback?)!**

**Until the next chapter,**

**-Eliza:)**


	2. Let's Go To The Beach

**A/N Okay, hey there! I just wanted to say,(on top of how grateful I am that you're reading this) is that this is set maybe around season 5-7? Just in case you were wondering or confused or anything:) **

"Have I ever told you that I hate seagulls?" Tony said, glaring at the seagulls circling overhead. The pair trudged over the sand, the beach, where tourists and locals usually crowded in, empty.

"And why is that, Tony?" Ziva asked, pulling her NCIS ballcap over her dark brown hair, which was pulled back into a bun. Right on cue, a seagull flew past, leaving Tony a gift on his right shoe.

"Oh, come on! I just shined these!" he moaned, sticking a gleaming black shoe out in front of him, a look of disgust on his face. He glared towards the sky again, and then at Ziva. "Why didn't it happen to you?"

"Because you are you, Tony." She stuck her face in Tony's line of sight, the smile that annoyed him, and made him feel like slapping her hung across her face like a banner. "And because you're a seagull magnet, not a chicken magnet."

"It's 'chick magnet', Ziva. Anyone would have thought that your English would have improved after all this time in the States." Before them, the yellow crime scene tape marked out the crime scene, just within reach of the ocean's waves, the dead body in the middle like a crown jewel.

"My English _has _improved, Tony." Ziva said. "I just don't want to waste the improvement on you."

"Whatever. Boy, am I glad that I didn't ride with Gibbs." Tony said, as the pair ducked under the crime scene tape. McGee had already started bagging and tagging the evidence, the mustache on his face had not yet been removed. "Damn. It's so sandy." Tony said, shaking a shoe.

"It's the _beach_, Tony, a beach has sand. So it's sandy." Ziva said, matter-of-factly.

"You guys are early." McGee said, standing up to greet the pair. He glanced at Tony's shoes and smirked, eyes reading 'It's payback time'. "Well, Tony, guess Christmas came a little earlier than _you _did."

"It usually does, McGeek." Tony said, scowling at McGee.

"Ducky's early." Ziva's remarked, and asked. "You two should stop bitching."

"Bickering." Tony and McGee corrected, in unison. Ziva raised her hands in defeat. Not the best time to mess with those two.

"You should have let Ziva drive." McGee said, obviously not taking any notice of Ziva, and bent down to take a few shots of evidence, and a stray one up at Tony. Ziva chuckled, while Tony scowled.

"Oh, he did. But I made the mistake of letting him map read." She said, looking around. "Where's Gibbs? Didn't he ride with you?" McGee stood again.

"Hey boss." Ziva froze, while Tony smiled for the first time since entering the crime scene. A 'smark', as McGee had once called it.

"Talk to me." Gibbs ordered, taking a sip from his coffee cup.

"Where did he get that from?" Tony murmured. Gibbs stared at him, daring him to go on. "Right boss. Petty officer Charles Petrelli. Worked at Quantico. Found buried in the sand by a whole bunch of teens." He sniggered. "Too bad he couldn't fly away like Nathan." There was a long pause.

"Nathan?" McGee enquired, voicing what Ziva and Gibbs had obviously been thinking. Tony smiled again, nervously.

"Nathan Petrelli? _Heroes_? You know, the guy who can fly?" More blank stares. "Oh, never mind." Gibbs' expression barely changed, just that his already icy blue eyes became icier, if that was even possible. "Work. On it, boss." Gibbs nodded, and headed over to Ducky.

"Hey Duck." Gibbs said, pulling out a spiral notepad. "Got a time of death?" Ducky waved a dismissive hand at Palmer, who fled to drag the gurney into the scene.

"I can't be too sure." He said. "Seeing that he was buried in the sand, and the irregular temperature changes, and-"

"Duck..." Gibbs said, already looking bored. Ducky stopped.

"Sorry, Jethro." He said, picking off a few maggots of the body. "But my educated guess would be, maybe around a week." He put the maggots into a glass evidence case. "I think Abby can tell us more with these. Cause of death seems to be the gunshot wound to the heart, size of wound says a 9mm."

"Thank you, Duck." Gibbs said, keeping his pen and notepad.

"Hey boss." McGee called. Gibbs turned, and saw the rest of his team apparently standing around doing nothing. "Found something."That was more like what Gibbs wanted to hear, and he went over.

"Shell casing. 9mm." Tony said. Ziva smiled.

"Which would explain the gunshot wound to the heart." She said, trying to look serious, and failing. "Something personal?" Gibbs turned to Tony and Ziva, looking carefully, and stared.

"Did you two exchange bodies today? Because _that's _not really the Ziva I know." Gibbs demanded, eyes flashing.

"No." the pair said in unison, trying not to feel anything which could very well condemn them, especially when Gibbs was angry.

"Then Ziva, beware of the DiNozzo syndrome." Ziva nearly smirked, but managed to prevent it.

"Boss!" Tony protested. Gibbs nearly pounced on him.

"And _you_? If you're trying to be Ziva, it's not working. Try to act like the senior field agent you actually are." Gibbs said, sounding really annoyed and impatient. "You three. Ride back together. I want a full presentation later."

The three barely croaked a word, as Gibbs brushed past a smiling Palmer- whose smile completely withered under Gibbs' glare- and could only watch as their boss stormed off. "This is not good. Gibbs has only walked off a crime scene once, and things did not turn out well." Tony said. The other two nodded weakly, remembering the last time it had happened and its aftermath: the fall of a senator.

"Yeah." McGee said, the camera still slung around his neck. "Except that the victims of this could be us. Thanks a lot, Tony."

"You know what, McGee? You really look much more serious with that mustache."

"Shut _up_, Tony!" McGee yelled. Ziva stepped forward, and smacked the two on the back of their heads, like Gibbs would have done.

"What?!" they demanded, eyes flashing with anger.

"Stop it!" Ziva hollered. "Just stop it! You two are being so immature."

"Well, thank _you _for pointing that out, Miss David." Tony spat. "Although, oh wait! It was you who made Gibbs angry in the _first _place!"

"I guess I learned that from you!" Ziva barked, obviously in 'full scene mode', as their forensic specialist, Abby, had once said. Ziva too, flounced off, fuming. Tony and McGee turned to Ducky and Palmer, as Ziva was soon out of sight.

"Don't start on me, gentlemen." Ducky said. "And pardon me for saying this, but I think this particular storm has been brewing for some time." The body had been loaded onto the gurney, and Ducky and Palmer started off.

Tony and McGee returned to the rest of the crime scene in silence. Life had to go on even in the midst of all the unhappiness in the air. "Um… McGee? I think we have a problem." Tony piped up a few moments later.

"What is it _now_, Tony?" Tony gulped nervously.

"Ziva had the car keys."

**A/N: Hi, if you're actually reading this, thank you so much!:) It really means a lot to me! Um, well, comment and follow/favourite/share?(if you want to^^) Hang around for the next instalment !:) **

**- Eliza:)**


	3. A Blow To The Heart

"I think I'm going to incinerate this suit." Tony remarked, tugging at his collar, as he and McGee trudged into the squad room. McGee scowled.

"How do you think _I _feel, Tony? And you drew this ridiculous _thing _on my face. How do you think I feel about _that_, huh?" Tony looked genuinely sorry. For a moment.

"Fine. I'm sorry about that. And it's not as if you haven't done anything bad to me ever." Tony, too, scowled at McGee.

"Oh yeah? And what have I done to you?" McGee demanded.

"Well, for one, you gave me the pneumonic _plague_!" Tony snarled, as though it had been the obvious thing.

"Oh, you wanna do this now? Let's do it."

"I almost died!" Heads poked up, above office partitions, as agents stopped in their tracks, along the hallways. A full-scale argument rarely occurred, and when it did, it never went unnoticed.

"You snatched the envelope from me!" McGee shouted exasperatedly, as Tony lobbed his backpack forcefully into his corner, and it connected with the partition with a loud thump. McGee's table shook, as his backpack hit it.

"You should have taken it back and given it to Gibbs!" It was McGee who threw the first punch, which clipped Tony in the jaw. Tony staggered back, but lashed out, his fist hitting McGee's head. McGee staggered backwards, unstable, and grabbed Tony's collar.

The ground shook a little, as the two men hit it, hard. Like schoolboys in a fight, they began to pummel and kick each other. McGee, gasping, inched his way to his desk, reached out, pulling his fingernails down Tony's cheeks, and the latter howled with pain. Blinded by the pain and anger, he flung his fist out, hitting McGee in the ribcage, and McGee hit the ground again, a few inches away from where he had been moments ago.

The elevator doors dinged open, and Abby sauntered out lightheartedly, looking for Gibbs. Her eyes narrowed, and her pace slowed, as she saw the multitude of agents looking in the direction of an office. _Gibbs' bullpen. _She soon saw the fighting duo on the carpet, breathed an "ohmygod", and started weaving through the watching agents.

She dashed into the bullpen, as Tony gave McGee another blow to the shoulder. Abby tried to pull the two apart, which was hard, like pulling two fighting guys who are fighting like five-year-olds ever is. _Now if _Ziva _were here._ She thought.

"Guys, that's enough!" she ordered, as she pulled McGee away from Tony, and jumped in the middle. "Guys, guys!" the pair stopped trying to tear the other's throats out, and Abby saw all the accumulated cuts and bruises, including the blood dripping from Tony's eyebrow. "Oh my God, you two are going to Ducky _right _now."

She grabbed the two agents by the arm, one struggling agent on each side. Agents parted like the Red Sea to let them pass through, looking on intently. The elevator doors slid shut, and the agents went back to their normal routines, as though nothing had happened.

The lift doors dinged open at Autopsy, Abby pulled McGee and Tony out of the lift, and through the automatic doors. "Ducky!" Abby called out. Ducky was seated at his desk, finishing some paperwork, and did not look up.

"Just a minute, Abigail." He said. He put his pen down, and stood up, turning to face them. "And how may I… Oh dear. What have _you_ two been doing?"

"I found them fighting in the middle of the squad room." Abby explained, as Tony and McGee glowered sullenly.

"My god, Anthony, what happened to your forehead?" Ducky asked, referring to the small bloody gash on Tony's forehead. Tony scowled harder.

"Mc_freak _here conked me on the head with a stapler." He said.

"That's all _your _fault, anyway." McGee said.

"Oh yeah? You were the one who raised how you felt."

"And you were the one who let Ziva take the car keys!"

"You two!" Abby exclaimed, "That's enough!"

"Mm…" Ducky murmured in agreement. "Abigail," he said, handing Abby a bottle of antiseptic. "Help McGee. I'll deal with Anthony first." Abby nodded, and led McGee over to the other side of the room. "Anthony, you must hold still." Ducky said, as Tony winced, and began to fidget as Ducky wiped the gash over with some antiseptic wipes.

"Got that." Tony replied, sitting on one of the cold metal autopsy tables, as Ducky threaded a needle. "How many do I need?" he asked, nodding towards the needle.

"About four." He replied, as he carried a syringe to Tony.

"I think I'll be fine without it, Duck." He said. Ducky looked at him again, and he nodded. The syringe was replaced onto the metal tray, and Ducky inserted the needle above his left eyebrow. Tony breathed in sharply.

"Second thoughts about that anesthesia, Anthony?" Ducky asked, as he pulled the thread through, and inserted the needle again.

"Not yet." Tony squeaked, and bit his lip, as Ducky inserted the needle yet again. "Where's. Ow. Palmer? Ow." He croaked. "_Ow_!"

"Lunch break. Mr. Palmer had an appointment of some kind, or an errand to run." Ducky said, cutting the thread. "There, all done. Sleeves up, please." Tony did as he was told, revealing multiple cuts and bruises.

"Ducky!" Abby hollered. "I'm done over here with McGee!"

"Okay, Abigail. You've covered every spot?" Ducky replied.

"Yes, I'm sure, Ducky." Abby said. "I'm gonna bring McGee up to my lab to remove this permanent marker."

"Bring him back down when you're finished, so I can have a look." Ducky said, and waved at them to go. He turned back to Tony.

"Hey, Duck. You wouldn't happen to have heard from Gibbs or Ziva, have you?" Tony asked. Ducky shook his head.

"No I have not." He replied. "Neither have contacted you?"

"No. I would be surprised if they did." Tony said, rubbing some antiseptic on his left arm, as Ducky brought some band-aids, surgical tape and gauze over. "Gibbs' mad at me, Ziva's mad at me, McGee's definitely _pissed_."

"Yes he is." Ducky said, gently rubbing some more antiseptic onto Tony's right arm. "I heard what went on at the crime scene. Jethro and Ziva are definitely angry, but they will come back."

"I hope." Tony replied forlornly. "At this rate, when I go home, Gibbs will be waiting on some rooftop waiting to get me with his sniper rifle, and Ziva will be waiting behind my door to break my neck."

"That bad?" Ducky enquired. Tony nodded.

"If I ever turn up dead, within this week, I hope two of your main suspects are Gibbs and Ziva." He said. Ducky raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think he will. You're like family to him. I can say just as much in Ziva's case."

"Hmm… Doesn't sound that good, but I'll take it if it's my only chance to survive." Tony replied.

"And how about Timothy? You're like a brother to him." Tony smirked. "Abby too."

"Yeah, and Ziva is my sister. I _sure _love having trained ninja girl assassins, happy Goths, and computer geeks for siblings." Tony said sarcastically. "Am I the only _normal _one between the Marine, ex-Mossad, Goth, and the elf lord?"

"I'm not in any position to answer that, Anthony. It's your opinion, not mine." Ducky said. "But if I may say so, if you don't see them as family, what made you decide to put Jethro down as your next-of-kin in an emergency?"

Tony looked at Ducky thoughtfully, processing all that the Medical Examiner had said. He _had _put Gibbs down as his next-of-kin in an emergency. He smiled, a small smile. "I know why. Thanks, Duck."

"You're welcome, Anthony. Feel better now?"

"Much. And I guess I did start all this." Tony said. His phone rang, and he searched in his pockets, before pulling out his amazingly still-intact cell phone. "DiNozzo." He said.

"Tony?" It was Abby, in her lab. "Director Vance wants to see you in his office right away."

Tony groaned.

**A/N: Okay, I shall admit that I'm a bit of a drama queen, which is how this chapter came about, so if you feel it's exaggerated or anything, all I can say is… whoops. (Hopefully it made some entertaining reading anyway). Thank you so much for reading this, and thank you for your lovely comments if you commented, I can't even tell you how much they mean to me :) Do comment and follow/favourite/share? And please hang around, the story's just beginning!**

**-Eliza:) **


	4. The Principal's Office

Five minutes ago

Leon Vance was fuming. He pressed the intercom button, hard. "Get me Agent Gibbs."

"Yes sir." His secretary replied. He leaned back in his director's chair. Soon, the intercom crackled to life. "Agent Gibbs is not answering his phone, and is not in his office, sir." Vance pressed the button again.

"Thank you." He said, and released the intercom button. _Where the hell was Gibbs? _He dialed for Gibbs' cell, but was sent to voicemail. "Gibbs! I want you in my office now!" he replaced the phone, and fumed inwardly.

The door opened, and Gibbs entered, greeting Vance with a cocked eyebrow. "Got your message."

"Where _were _you, Gibbs?" he asked coolly. Gibbs didn't answer, for a moment.

"Coffee break." He finally said.

"How long do you need for a coffee break? According to Dr. Mallard, you left the crime scene early and did not return." Vance demanded. Gibbs did _not _look happy.

"Are we here to talk about my coffee habits, Leon? Because you're not going to change anything." Vance looked ready to shoot Gibbs, and even missed the 'Leon'.

"Well, while you were out, what do you think your team was doing?" he demanded again, and it was Gibbs' turn to be all calm and cool.

"How would I know? I'm not their father." He said.

"Well, let me tell you." Vance pressed a button on a remote, and the tape of Tony and McGee's fight played out on the director's plasma. Shock crept into Gibbs' eyes, as he saw the two arguing, and when McGee pulled the first punch, and soon after clogged Tony with a stapler. He gulped, silently, and turned to face Vance again.

"Where is my team now?" Gibbs asked. Vance smiled smugly.

"Where is Agent David?" he replied. "You do realize that your team is one man short."

"Of course I know Ziva's not there." Gibbs announced. "If she were, they'll be dead in seconds." Vance saw the logic in this, he knew the Mossad director's daughter too well.

"I see your point. But where is she, Gibbs?" Gibbs deadpanned.

"How would I know? According to _you_, I MIA-ed, remember? And you expect me to tell you where Ziva went?" Gibbs asked, feeling annoyed, and briefly wondered how he would deal with his agents. "You should just ask DiNozzo and McGee."

"And that I will." Vance said, and pressed the intercom button. "Send agents DiNozzo and McGee in, please." He released the button, as the silver door opened, and the two agents entered.

"Director Vance, it's not—Oh hey, boss. Glad that you're back." Tony said, trying to act all bright and cheery. The area above his left eyebrow had been cleaned and stitched up, the four stitches prominently displayed like prize trophies.

Band aids covered multiple cuts, while gauze covered the more severe ones, on both agents. Gibbs looked his agents up and down, and a thought instantly popped into his mind: What the _hell_?

"Agent DiNozzo, can you tell me where Agent David is?" Vance asked. Tony's eyes darted between his two bosses.

"Uh... No. she left the crime scene, sometime after you did, boss." Tony said, referring to Gibbs.

"Well then, Agent McGee, do _you _know where Agent David is?" Vance asked, to McGee. Gibbs rolled his eyes. He knew where this was going.

"No, sir. We haven't seen her since the crime scene." McGee replied, eyes darting to Gibbs.

"Get your team in order, Gibbs!" Vance exploded, slamming his hands on his table. He turned to DiNozzo and McGee. "And you two! What in the world were you thinking? What made you think that you could fight in the middle of the squad room?"

Gibbs opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by Vance with a glare. "Find Agent David. After you solve your current case, _all _of you are on desk duty for a week. Even you, Gibbs."

"Yes sir." DiNozzo and McGee squeaked. Gibbs just glared.

"Good. You may go." Vance said. Tony and McGee scuttled from the room like frightened rabbits, while Gibbs strolled slowly out, letting his glare linger for a moment. He joined his agents in the lift.

"-let us off easy." Tony was saying, but stopped when Gibbs entered. "Hey boss." The lift doors slid shut, and Gibbs flipped the emergency stop switch. Tony and McGee exchanged looks. Elevator conference room. Not good. As the silence drew, the two felt more and more tense, waiting for the storm to come. It did.

"What the _hell _were you two thinking?" he roared, turning to face them. Tony nearly exploded.

"If you had been there, you would know!" he yelled back, reaching for the switch. Gibbs slapped his hand away.

So this is _my _fault." Gibbs said, miffed.

"Oh yeah, it is." Tony said. "Mustache." He reminded.

"It's my _job_ to tell him about it." Gibbs said. His senior field agent took a deep breath.

"He would have found out anyway." Tony snarled. "He's more observant than you think." McGee froze. Was that supposed to be good or bad?

"So now you're telling me what to _think_?" Gibbs said, returning the snarl.

"Sometimes I have to. You underestimate him." Tony said. "McGee. You would have found out, right?" McGee felt like he was standing at a crossroads. One side was to agree with Tony, and get killed by the boss. The other side was to go with Gibbs, and have Tony mock and hate him.

"Um. Yeah. I guess?" McGee replied. Gibbs flipped the switch, and jabbed the next floor's button. The elevator doors dinged open, and Gibbs stormed out. Tony looked at the almost-white McGee, expression saying a grateful 'thanks'.

"Oh great." He said, watching his boss storm off for the second time that day. He turned to McGee. "We're screwed."

**A/N: Hey guys, I was gonna post this yesterday, but I had an exam and then I had to study for the next exam plus I was really tired.. In short, I got home and crashed on the couch and slept until the next morning (well, this morning). Again, I am **_**really**_** dramatic. Scenes like these bring out the drama queen in me. I guess you would either like or really, **_**really**_** hate this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it, even a little. **

**So I guess some of you might say that this is not realistic, that this probably would never happen, it's unlike the characters to do this sort of thing, but I wanted to write this, so if you didn't like it… it's okay. (But don't get mad about it, it's a story)**

**Anyway, if you liked it, thank you so much! Thank you for reading, and if you've been reading since the first chapter, thank you again! Do review(please tell me how you found this chapter!)/follow/favorite this if you liked it :) **

**-Eliza:)**


	5. Bourbon In The Basement

**Hey guys! Just before you frown at how short this is, this is supposed to be short(I guess you could say for dramatic purposes), but fret not! I'm uploading a few chapters, partly because this is really short and partly to make up for not updating for (I think 2?) days. **

Gibbs took a sip of bourbon from his mug, savoring the taste before swallowing it. Light footsteps descended the stairways. "Mm… Hey Ziva. Where have you been?" he said, and turned, to see Ziva standing at the base of the staircase, in her usual light brown cargos, and leather jacket.

"Around." Ziva replied. Gibbs offered her the mug of bourbon, which she politely refused.

"I'm guessing you were at the shooting range." He said, before adding, "You sure?" Ziva hesitated for a moment, before smiling.

"No." she said, reaching for the mug, and took a sip. Gibbs smiled too, and cleaned out a jar. "It's a school night." She added, taking another sip. Her boss shrugged.

"Today credits it." He said. "We got sent to the principal's office."

"Vance? What happened?"

"McGee and DiNozzo fought." Gibbs said, taking another sip. Ziva was about to speak when Gibbs continued. "In the office. Vance got it on tape."

"How bad was-"

"DiNozzo needed four stitches." Ziva felt vaguely amused. Tony getting beaten by McGee?

"How did-"

"Stapler." Gibbs cut in, smiling. Ziva cocked her head to one side. She, too, was smiling.

"Why do you keep on-"

"Finishing your sentences?" Gibbs answered. Ziva smirked.

"Well, Abby's right. You do have that-"

"Psychic sense." Gibbs and Ziva exchanged looks, breaking into smiles, and their laughter echoed into the night.

**Okay quick, click next chapter! This is a little Gibbs-Ziva bit I did because I really love the father-daughter relationship they have hee hee:) If you liked it (or didn't), tell me in a review! And maybe follow or favorite this story while you're at it!**

**- Eliza **


	6. A Hideout?

It was a slow morning in the NCIS squad room that belonged to NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. All smiles were absent, and silence and tension filled the air. Tony and McGee whispered like a pair of schoolgirls, while Ziva and the boss stared blankly at their screens, Ziva donning a large pair of shades.

"Hangover." Tony murmured to McGee, the two on truce for the time being. "I'm guessing bourbon in the basement. Got it yet, McGee?"

"Give me a moment." McGee grunted, typing rapidly. He finally tapped a last key triumphantly, and turned to Tony, a determined look on his face. "Done."

"Good job, McGee." Tony said, punching McGee in the shoulder. "Sorry. Print it out, grab it, I'll drop the note on Gibbs' desk, and we're gone. Thirty second window, okay? Ready?" Their guns were already holstered, badges clipped to their belts. "Go."

McGee hit the print button, a sheet of paper emerged from the printer, making the two hungover ones jump, and he grabbed the sheet of paper. Tony dropped the note onto Gibbs' desk, and the two dashed for the elevator. As soon as the doors slid shut, Tony let out a breath he did not realize he had been holding. "That was close." He said, as the elevator descended.

"It was close enough." McGee agreed, as they strolled out of the lift. "Definitely close enough,"

"Hi guys." Abby said, looking up, as they entered the lab.

"Hey Abby." McGee said. "Could we use your back room as an office? The boss and Ziva are pretty hungover."

"And things are pretty tense up there. " Tony added. Abby smiled.

"Bourbon in the basement?" Abby asked.

"Tony thinks so." McGee replied, as Abby nodded knowingly. Abby, who had her usual dressing of black accompanied with metal chains, led them to the back, a black studded dog collar adorning her neck today.

"Mm…" Abby said, looking at Tony. "Has Gibbs had any coffee yet today?" Tony and McGee exchanged thoughtful looks.

"No." Tony answered, shaking his head gently, as though shaking his head vigorously would make his stitches fall out. "There was no empty coffee cup on his desk or in his wastepaper basket." Abby smiled.

"Definitely bourbon." She said. McGee smiled, and pulled out his laptop from one of the worktops, and flipped the lid open. Tony looked amused.

"So _this _is where you've been, when you disappear from the squad room? Why am I not surprised?" he exclaimed. McGee looked sheepishly at Tony. "God, McGee!" he squeezed his eyes shut, wincing. "Don't tell me anymore."

"I'll leave you two to work, then." Abby said brightly, and headed out, leaving Tony staring at McGee incredulously.

"Goodness knows what other little secrets you have, McGee." Tony said, looking at his colleague in mock horror. "I'm looking at you with new eyes, McSneak." He paused. "How did you pull it off?" he asked. McGee smiled knowingly at him, and powered up his laptop.

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out." He said, smirking.

"Very _good_, McGee. I'm impressed." Tony said, pulling out a copy of the case file from his jacket, and flipped through it.

"I learn from the best." McGee said. Tony smiled.

"You're welcome, probie." He said. McGee smirked

"I meant Gibbs." Tony rolled his eyes.

"That's really funny, Mcgee." Tony said. "Now shush, I want to get that one week of incoming desk duty over and done with ASAP."

"One more thing, Tony." McGee said, locking the automatic door, and tossing Tony a pair of earphones, and Tony's iPod. "In case Gibbs comes."

"You went through my desk?"

"No, I knew where it was. Who doesn't?" McGee replied. Tony nodded, and plugged the earpieces into his ears.

"Good job, McGee." Tony said. "But don't think so much next time, it's really unbecoming."

"Back face the door, please." McGee added. Tony rolled his eyes.

"_Very _unbecoming." McGee just smiled.

**A/N Hey guys! This is pretty much McGee and Tony-centric, because since I had a Ziva-Gibbs chapter I had to have one with the boys:P Also, I like it when McGee and Tony arent fighting and have a little brotherly moment. DON'T JUDGE ME, THANK YOU. I find myself smiling at such scenes:) Okay, so review, favorite, follow please?:D**

**(Note for a non-registered user earthdragon, the rest of you can just ignore this bit: Hi there! I know you have a lot of issues with my story, inaccurate protocols, a teeny bit of unrealisism and other stuff. I have to say this: it's a story and I don't know much about any protocols. Also, IT'S A STORY.)**

**-Eliza:)**


	7. Ziva Joins The Party

**(A/N No, you're not going crazy, I **_**did**_** just post three chapters at one go. The previous two were short and anyway I didn't post for the past two days! It's like an apology of sorts:D) **

The lift doors dinged open, and a bleary, but otherwise clear-minded Ziva stepped out. Unfortunately, she had not been so clear minded while dressing that morning, and was wearing a hot pink turtleneck with light brown corduroys. Not very Ziva-like.

She entered Abby's lab, dark circles under her eyes. "Hey, Abby." She said, spying the two agents in the next room. "So this is where everyone is?" she mused. She tried the door, it was locked.

"Ziva." Abby said. "Are you thinking straight now?" This question seemed to take Ziva by surprise, but she nodded.

"Yes, I am, although I'm very tired." Abby did not say a word. "You have to let me go in, Gibbs is being unbearable." She pleaded. Abby softened, and unlocked the door, slipped in, and shut it again. She ripped the earpieces from Tony and McGee's ears, and they looked at her, startled.

"Guys, you have got to let Ziva in. She's thinking straight now, and Gibbs is in one of his moods." Tony and McGee exchanged looks. They knew how Gibbs could be in one of _those _moods.

"Fine. But she has to promise that she will not speak about what happened yesterday." Tony said finally. "As it is, McGee and I are on a truce." Abby nodded, poked her head out of the door, and repeated what Tony had said.

"I promise!" Ziva declared desperately. Tony nodded, and Abby opened the door to let her in.

"Have a nice day, guys." She said, and locked the door once again. Ziva fled to drag out the futon, lay down, and dozed off softly. Tony and McGee pulled off their earphones, and stared at the sleeping Ziva, then back at each other. They sighed.

"So what do we do now?" McGee asked. Tony shrugged.

"I guess we just wait and see." he said, before staring at Ziva and sighing again. "We really should go see Petty Officer Nathan Petrelli's CO." he said, before adding. "She looks so peaceful."

"I know. Doesn't it make you feel tired too?" McGee said. Tony yawned.

"I barely slept last night. Movies." He reasoned, picking up his cell. "Hey Abbs, could you wake us up at… one?"

"Will do."

"Thanks." Tony said, shutting his cell. About an hour of power napping would do them all good. "We got an hour." He said to McGee, and they hunched back over, laying their heads on the table, McGee using his laptop as a pillow, Tony using the case file as his.

**Oops this is pretty short. The next few scene-like chapters are kind of short so I might post two chapters at one go if it's too short. Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Do drop me a review and favorite/follow and chill out until the next chapter! Thanks !:D**

**-Eliza:)**


	8. Gibbs

His team was going missing, one by one.

Gibbs sat at his desk, trying to shut out the urge to close his eyes, and fall asleep. He looked at the three empty desks in his squad room, reflecting with the little slice of his brain that was still thinking straight. What had gone wrong? Why hadn't everything worked out as it always did? There were just too many 'why's, too many questions to answer.

For one thing, his routine was gone, down the drain. He had not gone to Ducky for an autopsy report, not gone down to see Abby for the forensics, not had his usual shot of coffee. There were too many things he had not done, and he needed to get things back on track.

And then he _knew_. Much as his team needed him to keep them in check, he needed them too, even if he wouldn't want to admit it. It was a fragile thread which bound them together, that broken past each one of them had. Every one of them needed the other.

They were like his three kids, trying to outshine each other, vying for daddy's attention. His mind replayed the scene in the elevator.

"_He would have found out anyway. He's more observant than you think."_

"_Oh, so now you're telling me what to _think_?"_

"_Sometimes I have to. You underestimate him."_

The scene flashed in his mind, his senior field agent's scowl, and obvious exasperation. Was DiNozzo right? Did he underestimate McGee, or anyone else, for that matter? Which led back to the main question: Where was his team now?

He narrowed down the possibilities. Coffee, Autopsy and Abby's lab. A thought niggled at him, they would probably be at Abby's lab. But he decided to try Autopsy first, although he doubted that they would be there. He got out of his office chair, wincing at the sound it made, and headed to the lift.

"Jethro!" Ducky said, as Gibbs slipped through the Autopsy suite's automatic doors. "I knew it wouldn't be long before you came down." Gibbs looked around the cold metal room, looking for any sign of his team. He did not find any.

"Not now, Duck. I will be back soon." He promised. Ducky did not seem surprise.

"Looking for your team, I suppose?" he asked.

"Yeah." Gibbs replied, slowly and carefully.

"Off you go, then." Ducky replied. Gibbs stopped, as though realizing something.

"Did any of them say anything to you?" he asked, with a little more than a tinge of suspicion in his voice.

"No, but even if they did-"

"Doctor-patient confidentiality." Gibbs answered, in a resigned tone, gave Ducky a parting smile usually reserved for Abby and the medical examiner, and slipped out the doors, and into the elevator.

It was one of those rare times when Abby's lab was silent, no music pulsing from its speakers, usually rendering Gibbs half deaf. It was a good thing, because Gibbs' ears were particularly sensitive that morning. Abby sat at a monitor, typing into a transparent keyboard. "Hey Abbs." He whispered into her ear. Abby jumped.

"Gibbs!" she gasped. "Don't _do _that!" Gibbs sharp eyes spotted his senior field agent and McGee lying asleep on the metal table, and he looked at Abby with a 'when were you going to tell me?' look. She looked at him, like the cat who ate the canary, and got found out. "Gibbs. Come back at one, please?" she asked.

Gibbs did not answer, but instead walked to the door, and peered further in, and spotted Ziva lying fast asleep on the futon Abby kept in the lab. "Abby…"

"Gibbs, please. They need it." She pleaded. Gibbs sighed, and inwardly felt sorry for his agents, watching them sleep. He, too had been there, done that. And anyway, they looked so…angelic, for once. He hid a smile, and turned back to Abby.

"One?" Abby smiled, and nodded.

"One. Would a hug make you feel better?" Gibbs nodded, and gave the scientist a hug, and a kiss to the forehead, before leaving the lab again. "Thanks, Gibbs." She said, softly, as she heard the elevator doors ding shut.

**A/N Okay, I guess this isn't anything that would actually happen, but I liked doing this more Gibbs-getting-in-touch-with-his-inner-feelings chapter, because despite what some people think about him not having any feelings or anything, Gibbs **_**does**_** have feelings, and in this chapter he's softer than what you would usually see.**

**Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Hope you liked it, do leave me a review, and favourite/follow, thank you!**

**-Eliza:)**


	9. Reunited And It Feels So Good

Gibbs strolled back to the squad room, glancing at his bright orange watch. About forty minutes to one. He briefly played with the idea of going to talk to the dead Petty Officer's CO, but situations were already delicate, as it was, and he did not feel like breaking protocol to test the waters.

_Coffee break_. He thought, as he slipped on his jacket and headed to the elevator again. He nodded to security on the way out, and headed to his usual coffee spot. He strolled towards the stand, and was brought back to the world's hustle and bustle when his phone shrilled. He pulled it out, annoyance flashing across his face.

"Yeah, Gibbs." He said.

"Agent Gibbs? This is Petty Officer Nathan Petrelli's CO, Lieutenant Colonel Holly Worth." A female voice said over the phone. "NCIS told me to call you."

"Lieutenant Colonel Worth. How may I help you?" Gibbs asked, ordering his coffee, black, as usual. There was a pause. "Lieutenant Colonel Worth?"

"Oh I'm sorry. I was supposed to tell you that there's been another murder." She said. Gibbs dropped some money on the counter, grabbed his coffee, and hurried back to the NCIS building. Guess he would have to wake his team up from their afternoon nap.

... ... ... ... ...

The lift doors dinged open, and Gibbs entered Abby's lab. Abby, back facing him, said, "Gibbs, it's not one yet." She turned to face Gibbs.

"Abby. There's been another murder." He replied bluntly. Abby looked at him, with an expression that said 'oops'.

"Oh, in that case," she said, picking up a remote and pressed 'play'. Instantly, heavy metal music blasted from the speakers, and another button made the automatic doors slide open. Gibbs smiled.

"Ah!" Ziva yelped, brandishing a gun which wasn't there, rolling off the futon, and grabbed wildly at its sides. She let herself fall off with a thump, and sat up. Tony rubbed his eyes, as McGee yawned. Abby, all smiles, clicked another button, and the music stopped.

"Some wake up call." Tony grumbled, before spotting his boss standing in the doorway. He punched McGee, who was muttering something unintelligible in the shoulder. "Oh hey, boss."

"Nice nap?" Gibbs asked. Tony, McGee and Ziva nodded, unsure of what was coming next. They soon found out. "Got another dead Marine. Be down in the car in fifteen." He said, and walked out.

The three blinked at each other, as the message sunk in. Then they started moving rapidly, trying to gather up their stuff.

"Someone tell me this is just a dream." McGee moaned, yawning again as he grabbed his laptop in one hand, jacket and coat in the other.

"I wish." Tony said, balancing the case file and his own iPod as they trudged into the lift, and the doors closed. Abby smiled, and shook her head.

**A/N I actually wrote this in scenes, separated by the line of dots, so some of those are pretty short for (dramatic) effect. I decided to put two mini scenes into one chapter to see how it feels, and I really need feedback please! Would you prefer it if I put two scenes like these into one chapter, or if I put them into separate chapters and post them at the same time? Please tell me which you prefer in the reviews if you can, thanks!**

**Thank you for reading, do review if you liked it/didn't like it and perhaps favourite/follow?:D**

**-Eliza:) **


	10. The Boss,The Exotic And Two Car-Sleepers

"Another case of after-sleep fatigue." Gibbs remarked to himself, as he peered through the rear view mirror at Tony and McGee, snoring away in the backseat. In the passenger seat next to him, Ziva's eyes were half open as she, too, fought to stay awake.

"Go ahead and sleep, Ziva." He said, almost kindly, and he watched as Ziva doze off, back into her dream land. His eyes darted back to the road as he drove in silence, for once.

The two in the backseat gasped awake, as the car swerved to the right, and it seemed as though the car was only on two wheels. Gibbs smirked to himself, as he peeked at the wide eyes. Not surprisingly, Ziva was still fast asleep. Tony reached over to poke her.

"Ow!" he howled, as Ziva grabbed his arm and twisted it, eyes still closed.

"Tony." She said, still not opening her eyes. "Don't. You. Dare." She released Tony's arm, which he pulled back, examining his wrist.

"Vicious." He quipped, as Gibbs pulled into a parking lot. Her eyes flew open, and gave him an icy stare with her big brown eyes. His smile wavered a bit, but still remained. Gibbs had climbed out of the driver's seat, and poked his head in again.

"DiNozzo!" he said. Tony looked at him.

"Huh? Oh, right boss." He replied, jumping out of the car. "On your six, boss." Ziva and McGee hopped out of the car too, relieved that Gibbs had not arrowed them. The NCIS Medical Examiner van pulled up next to them.

"Agent McGee!" Palmer called, as he climbed out of the van. McGee stopped, as did the others, and turned. Palmer was holding up a small black, flat pack. "You dropped a camera battery yesterday."

"Thanks." McGee murmured, as he took the battery from Palmer. Ziva smiled, while Gibbs gave McGee a withering stare.

"Why were you in the M.E van yesterday?" Ziva asked, as McGee joined them, and continued down the path, flashing their badges at security.

"Don't ask." McGee groaned. " It's a long story." A lady approached them.

"Agent Gibbs?" she asked. Gibbs nodded. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Worth. We spoke on the phone?" the lieutenant's blonde hair was neatly bunned up, and her dark eyes peered at each of the agents, studying them carefully.

Holly Worth nearly laughed. _This _was NCIS? Agent Gibbs she could believe, he was definitely the boss, but the others? Not so much, except maybe the exotic girl, but the other two men? Hardly.

She studied the first of the men. The one with the dark hair and the green eyes. One side of his hair was flat, as though he had been leaning on something. His left cheek was slightly red, not from blushing, and was in the shape of a seat belt. _Slept in the car._ She guessed.

The next guy, dark hair and _blue _eyes, was trying to stop himself from yawning. One side of his hair was also flat, and his right cheek was pinkish too, but unlike the first guy's, his was not in the shape of a seat belt. _Another car sleeper._

Beside him was the exotic girl, all dark hair and eyes, perfectly fit, and did not look tired, just a few minor hints here and there. Holly looked at her clothes. They were _interesting_, for lack of better words. Her eyes spotted the Star of David necklace around her neck. _Israeli. _She thought.

"And your team?" she said instead.

"Agents DiNozzo, McGee and David." He replied, gesturing to each of the agents. Holly nodded. _DiNozzo. He's Italian. _

"This way, please." She said, and led the team to an office, the crime scene. It was a small desk, and a dead body was slumped over it, a bottle of pills spilled by his right hand.

"Thank you. Agent David will interview you in the hall shortly." Gibbs said, and the lieutenant left. "Ziva. Go." Ziva nodded, and left too. Gibbs turned, to face DiNozzo and McGee, and gave them the look they knew so well.

"On it, boss." Tony said, and he and McGee moved off, ever so obediently. DiNozzo looked at McGee thoughtfully. "You know what…" McGee looked at him with the same thoughtful look.

"He's not mad with us." He said.

"Should I be happy or scared at this?" Tony asked.

"I have no idea. But what I _know _is that he'll be mad if we don't start working." McGee said, bending down. Tony thought about it for a moment.

"Good point." He said, bending down, latex gloves on their hands.

**A/N I realized that I haven't updated for a long time (I thought it's only been two days but I see that I'm wrong). Thank you for everyone who reviewed, and thank you if you're reading this, it means so much!:) I'll be uploading a few more chapters at one go to make up..so click next chapter!**

**-Eliza:) **


	11. Ducky And Abby

"You should know how worried young Anthony was," Ducky was saying, as he inserted the liver probe. Gibbs sighed, and shook his head.

"Can we not talk about this _now_, Duck?" he asked. Ducky looked up at him. Gibbs was looking at him with his 'please, not now' look.

"Alright, Jethro. We will talk about this at a later date."

"Mm… I have a whole week free if you want." Was Gibbs reply. Ducky looked up at him, studying his friend's expression. He wasn't smiling.

"Time of death was two hours ago." He said, and paused, as Gibbs ingested the information. "Cause of death? Drug allergy, perhaps, which led to asphyxiation, as seen from this poor man's eyes." Gibbs, sharp as ever, noticed something.

"Don't people with common allergies carry epi-pens with them?" he asked, noting Ziva re-entering the office.

"Yes they do, Jethro. But our Marine doesn't seem to have one on him." Ducky said.

"I'll have McGee bag all his personal effects." Gibbs said. Ducky nodded.

"Tread lightly, Jethro. There's thin ice all around you." He said. Gibbs raised an eyebrow, and nodded.

"Uh huh. I know." Gibbs said, and headed over to the agents. "Talk to me."

"Our victim is Petty Officer Anthony Daniels, Charles Petrelli's colleague. Lieutenant Colonel Holly Worth is also his CO." Ziva said.

"Where was Worth at 12p.m?" Gibbs asked. Ziva looked at her notebook.

"Lunch with a Lieutenant General Wilson Andrews." She said. Gibbs nodded.

"Ziva. Rule number three." (Author's note: Gibbs' rule number three is: 'Don't believe what you're told, double check'.) Gibbs said. "McGee, personal effects, DiNozzo, evidence."

"On it boss." Tony said, and paused. "Are you leaving?" Gibbs gave him a stare, and DiNozzo turned away, and began to collect the bagged evidence.

"No. We all know how that turned out the _last _time."

… … … …

Ziva entered the squad room. McGee was the only one at his desk, Tony and the Boss were nowhere to be seen. "Where's the others?" she asked, lowering her backpack onto the floor. McGee raised his head.

"Tony's getting coffee," he said, "And Gibbs is-"

"Gibbs is here." Gibbs said, entering the squad room, and headed to his desk. "Where's DiNozzo?" Tony hurried into the squad room, carrying four coffee cups in a holder.

"Hey boss." He said, handing him a coffee cup. McGee stood to take his cup, and Tony offered Ziva one, taking the last one for himself.

"Not strong enough, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, but did not toss the cup into the trash, much to the team's surprise, and took another sip. "Coffee break's over. Whaddya got?" The three simultaneously put down their coffee cups, and McGee pointed the mouse at the plasma screen. The ID shots of Charles Petrelli and Anthony Daniels sprang up on the screen. McGee clicked again, and Charles Petrelli's info flashed up.

"Petty Officer Charles Petrelli." Tony announced. "Works along with Petty Officer Anthony Daniels. Currently in the infirmary, dispensing medicine. His financials are normal, for a Marine."

"His CO, Lieutenant Colonel Holly Worth, says that 'Petty Officer Charles Petrelli was a brave, responsible Marine etcetera etcetera' and that 'she was lucky to have served with him'. No criminal records." Ziva said. "In other words-"

"He was a great Marine." Gibbs finished.

"Yes." Ziva said, nodding. McGee clicked again, and Anthony Daniels' info flashed up.

"Petty Officer Anthony Daniels." McGee said. "In the same unit as Petty Officer Charles Petrelli. Normal financials, was involved in a bar fight once, when he was a teen."

"Other than that, good Marine." Ziva said.

"Ziva. Worth's alibi?" Gibbs asked.

"Checks out. And I triple checked with video footage too." Ziva replied.

"DiNozzo. Check out the officers' homes. Take Ziva with you." Gibbs said. "McGee, do a background check on Lieutenant Colonel Worth." Tony and Ziva grabbed their backpacks, Tony swiping the car keys from Ziva's desk.

"Tony!" she protested.

"I'm driving." Tony insisted, and Ziva gave him an annoyed look, as they stepped into the lift. McGee sighed, and began typing away at his computer, as Gibbs headed in the direction of the other elevator.

… … … …

The elevator doors dinged open, and Gibbs walked into Abby's lab, a _Caf-pow! _in hand. "Whaddya got, Abbs?" he asked. Abby turned, smiling, pink rubber bands holding up her pigtails.

"Plenty, Gibbs." She replied, pigtails bobbing excitedly. "First up, the maggots. They have been there for about a week, confirming Ducky's estimation of time of death."

"Accurate, huh?"

"Yup. And also, Charles Petrelli was not drugged, not on alcohol, at least, not anything that would show up on the tox screen." Gibbs smiled.

"You certainly meant your 'plenty', Abbs." He said.

"And I'm not done yet, Gibbs. I found sand flies on the body." She said.

"So?"

"I sifted and went through the sand you guys brought back-no sand flies." Abby announced proudly, adding hand actions to emphasize her point. Gibbs smiled again, and handed her the _Caf-pow!. _

"Good job, Abbs." Abby took a sip.

"Wanna talk about it, Gibbs?" she asked. Gibbs stopped, at the doorway, and turned to face her, suspiciously.

"Talk about what?" he replied, eyes narrowing. She cocked her head to one side.

"You know what I'm talking about. Today, yesterday." Abby said. "And don't think I don't know what's going on, like that fight. If I didn't show up when I did, Tony would be needing more than four stitches, and goodness knows what _state _McGee would be in."

"I know." He said.

"So let's talk about it now?" Abby asked. Gibbs took a long look at her light green eyes, thinking.

"No. You already know." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, a smile, and entered the elevator, leaving a very confused Abby behind him.

**A/N I **_**did**_** say this was going to be like a regular case episode fic:) So here's a more case-oriented chapter! Do review/follow/favorite! Thanks!:D I'll be uploading another chapter so please read that! (There may or may not be a little bit of Tiva in it:P )**

**-Eliza:)**


	12. What Happened In Apartment 4B

Tony and Ziva walked down the dimly lit hallway. "Apartment 4B." Ziva murmured, as they glanced at the door numbers. "Apartment 4B."

"Have you realized that Gibbs is becoming nice?" Tony mused, as he passed another door. Ziva did not look up at him.

"Yes. For one, he did not throw away the coffee you bought." Ziva said, as they continued their walk. The hallway had cream-colored walls, and the overhead lamps were switched off.

"And he did not give us a huge reprimanding for…yesterday." Tony replied. "Maybe age affects his temper." Tony looked back, suddenly.

"What?" Ziva asked, looking back too. Tony shook his head.

"Nothing. Just instinct. Just that it feels like every time I say something bad about him behind his back, I can feel him-"

"Behind you?" Ziva completed. Tony nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "Gibbs was like this when Kate died. Offered to buy coffee for McGee and me. Called McGee ' Tim'."

"Apartment 4B." Ziva said, stopping. Tony pulled out a skeleton key. From inside, there was a crash, and Tony and Ziva exchanged looks. 'one, two, three' Tony mouthed, and kicked the door in with a crash. Ziva zipped in, sweeping her gun in an arc, Tony right behind her. Shouts of 'clear!' rang through the apartment.

"Tony!" Ziva yelled. Tony entered the bedroom, a plain room with the usual dresser, wardrobe, and of course, bed. Ziva was staring at the mirror in the bathroom. Five red lines were drawn across it. _Fingers._ Tony made a face.

"Yikes. I'm calling Gibbs." He pulled out his cell phone, and speed dialed. "Hey Boss. I think you need to see this." He paused. "Yes Boss. On it." He flipped the phone shut, and noticed something. "Mm. Ziva?" he said. Ziva looked at him.

"What?" she asked. Tony pointed at her shoes, which were on little puddles of blood, almost drops. "Oh!" she exclaimed, and briefly swore.

"Don't move!" Tony said. Ziva growled impatiently. "Hey! I didn't steal your bone or something! It's not my fault!"

"Tony!" she retorted. "I am NOT going to stand here forever!" Tony smirked.

"Do you good to, little miss sunshine. You need more patience. _Way _more patience." He said. Ziva glared at him,

"Tony. How do you think Gibbs is going to react if he sees me standing in here?" she snapped. "And that you did not do anything about it?" Tony thought about it.

"Good point." He said. Tony brainstormed about it for a moment, and suddenly thought of one. _Oh no. No, no, no, no. _He thought. _There must be another way. _He thought harder, squinting.

"I'm not getting any younger here." Ziva remarked. "Gibbs isn't getting any further away either."

"Wait!" Tony said, mind working furiously. _There must be another way. _About a minute or two, he gave. "Okay. There _is _a way. Remove your shoes, and I'll carry you out." Ziva stared at him, as though he had suddenly grown an extra eye.

"Are you _kidding _me?"

"Do I look like I am?" he asked, looking at her gravely. "Fine. Then you can stay in here. I'll let Gibbs find you himself." He said casually, and turned for the door. Ziva's face changed instantly.

"Okay! Okay, whatever!" she said, and began to slip off her shoes, slowly, and carefully. Tony peeled off his own designer shoes, and pulled latex gloves over his socks. He stepped onto the bath mat gingerly, and lifted Ziva out of her shoes like one would to a small child. "Tony?"

"What?" Tony grunted.

_Harder than I thought._ Raced though his mind.

"Don't move, there's a spider on the back of your neck. Do not drop me or move suddenly. Or I. will. kill. you." Ziva said slowly. Tony let out a muffled shriek. "Don't. I'm gonna get it off, so .move. Got it?"

"Yeah, got it." Tony forced through clenched teeth, trying to keep as still as possible. _At least it wasn't a rat. _Ziva leaned over to the grab a piece of paper from the sink top, and started to scoop the spider off Tony's neck.

"You guys having fun?" Gibbs' voice suddenly said, from the bedroom. Tony turned, Ziva still in his arms, legs around his waist, still holding the spider. McGee smirked, choking back a laugh, and snapped a candid picture of the two.

"This is _so _not what it looks like, boss." Tony said, shaking his head. "I would never break rule number twelve. Ever." (Author's note. Gibbs' rule number 12: Never date a coworker.)

"Ziva. Get off DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered. "DiNozzo. Put on your shoes. What are those latex gloves doing on your feet? Ziva, where are _your _shoes?"

"Um.." Ziva said, exchanging looks with Tony.

"It's a long story, boss." Tony answered. "Very long." Ziva nodded an agreement. She slid off Tony, who reached down to pull the latex gloves off his socks, and slipped them into his shoes.

"We have all the time in the world, DiNozzo, David." Gibbs said, shrugging. "Go on, I hope you have a very good reason for what I saw just now." Tony sighed.

"Ziva and I heard something inside, we went in. Ziva rushed into the bathroom, stepped into puddles of blood. The only way to get her out without destroying the scene was to carry her out." Tony said. "That's my reason."

"That's basically everything in three sentences." Ziva said. The tips of Gibbs' lips turned up slightly.

"So that's it?" he asked. Tony and Ziva nodded. "Okay. Story telling's over. Get back to work. Ziva.."

"My shoes are evidence." She offered, with a nod. Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her and she nodded. She stood in her socks, thinking. Gibbs turned.

"DiNozzo, drive Ziva back to the office to get her shoes, then-"

"Go to the other house then visit the next-of-kins. On it, boss." Tony said. McGee turned.

"How's Tony going to get Ziva to the car?" he asked. Tony and Ziva spun to face him, stunned. Gibbs smiled, tilting his head slightly at them.

"Aw. You know what that means." McGee added. Tony blanched.

"Oh no, boss. No." he protested.

"Gibbs! No!" Ziva argued at the same time.

"Wait a second, which means that Tony has to carry Ziva into the _office _too." McGee said. Tony glared at him.

"_Or_, I can leave Ziva in the car and get her boots, McGee." He snapped. "There's more than one way to solve every problem, McNarrowMinded."

"Suit yourself." McGee said, shrugging. "Well, you still have to get her to the car." He said. Tony glowered at him.

"DiNozzo. Stop the talking and go." Gibbs said, slightly annoyed, bored and impatient all at the same time. Tony was familiar with that look, having been on the wrong side of it more than once. He picked up the latex gloves, and stuffed them into his pockets, and gave Ziva a knowing look that she caught. "Mount." Gibbs said, all of a sudden.

Tony and Ziva exchanged worried looks, the worry more from Tony, but a harsh look from their boss made them obey. Tony lifted Ziva with a grunt, and headed out of the door. Gibbs followed them, heading down the corridor and steps, and was waiting by the door, which he opened for the two agents.

"Thanks boss." Tony said, as he lowered Ziva into the front passenger seat. He straightened his arms, and they cracked. "Ow… Oh that feels good. You're heavy, Ziva." He said, slipping into the driver's seat, and was greeted by a blow to the shoulder.

"Hey! I did not call you fat! I was just saying that you are…" Ziva stared at him icily, daring him to go on. "Um… _Muscular_! Yeah!" Gibbs, still standing by the car, rapped on Tony's window.

"DiNozzo! You gonna stay here and chit chat all day?" Tony looked at him blankly, realized, nodded dumbly, and pulled off from the curb. Ziva chuckled smugly, as Tony sighed. The world was just so unfair to him.

**A/N I ship Tiva really hard so writing this chapter was pretty fun for me when I wrote this story, and so I really hope you liked this, do tell me what you thought in a review :) Thanks for reading, and do favorite/follow!**

**-Eliza:)**


	13. Headslaps And Boots

Tony was watching her put on her boots, one at a time.

"You're welcome, Ziva." Tony said, as they sat in the car, he watching her buckle the last boot. Ziva looked at him, and looked back at her boots.

"I did not thank you, Tony." She said. Tony leaned back in his seat, in the NCIS parking lot, and saw Abby's red car. Where had she even gotten that from? "And anyway, you need a workout, although that didn't really count as one."

"You just thanked me, Ziva." Tony replied, stretching, and pulled the sedan out of the parking lot. "I only hear the stuff I wanna hear. Only the good stuff." He explained, smiling.

"I actually understand why Gibbs always slaps _you _on the back of the head." Ziva said, annoyed. Tony gave her an innocent look. "And do not give me that look."

"Well, finally!" Tony exclaimed, completely ignoring her last sentence. "I think the rest of the six billion, nine hundred and ninety nine million, nine hundred and ninety thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine people in the _world _realized that. But it's alright. You're not too far behind." He paused. "Only a coupl'a years slow."

"I am currently resisting the urge to slap you silly, you big oaf." She forced though gritted teeth.

"Big oaf? Are you trying not to call me something worse?" I appreciate it. Thanks." Tony said. "And 'slap you silly'? I think the _real _Ziva would say 'snap your neck' or 'break your back', not 'slap you silly'." Another pause. "You're getting mellow." Ziva smiled, leaning back in her seat. "Ziva?"

"Shh… I'm hearing only the good stuff, and you are just plain annoying." She closed her eyes. Her partner just rolled his eyes, and carried on driving.

… … …

They pulled up behind another black sedan, undoubtedly Gibbs'. "Oh great." Tony groaned. "What are they doing here?" they entered the stucco type house. Gibbs appeared from another room.

"Took you guys long enough." He remarked. Tony looked innocent.

"Ziva decided to re-lace her boots." He volunteered. A sharp, stinging slap was delivered to the back of his head, as Gibbs reached forward to knock the marbles out of his skull. Tony winced.

"Ya think I'm _blind_, DiNozzo? Ziva's boots don't have laces." Gibbs headed into another room, leaving Tony staring at Ziva's boots, which had buckles. He looked up at Ziva, dazed.

"Now _that's _my boss." Tony squeaked, staggering into the room. "Hey McGee. What are you guys doing here?" McGee looked up at them from the floor.

"I think the question should be: Why are you guys _not _here? Because the answer to your question is, 'We're here because you're not.' Didn't you bring your cell?" Tony reached into his pockets, pulled out his cell phone, and flipped it open.

"Oh. Battery's dead." McGee pursed his lips in an 'I knew it' way. "You should've called Ziva." He said, and pressed a few more buttons. "Hmm… I could've sworn that there was still battery just now." He added, thinking.

"I did call Ziva. Straight to voicemail." McGee explained wearily. "You know what one of Gibbs' rules is: Never be unreachable." Ziva pulled out her cell and flipped it open. She frowned.

"Don't tell me." Tony said, groaning sarcastically.

"Battery's dead." Ziva said. "I thought I'd charged it. And anyway, Tony used his cell to call Gibbs just now." She exchanged looks with the others. Tony grinned like a maniac.

"We have a case of the battery drainers." He cackled. Another slap was delivered to the back of his head, as Gibbs strolled past.

"Or the body snatchers." He said drily. "Which would explain why my team is doing anything _but _working." The trio exchanged looks again, and hurriedly scuttled off. Gibbs smiled to himself.

**A/N Hi guys! Thanks for reading, and a very early happy holidays to you!:D Next chapter is coming right up after this, so be sure to read that too! Do review/follow/favorite, thanks!**

**-Eliza:)**


	14. Wait, What?

McGee's eyes widened.

"This is _not _good." He hit a key, and a sheet of paper rolled out of the printer. He stood up to grab it, when Gibbs strolled into the squad room. "Hey Boss, we may have a problem." Gibbs looked over at the paper, as Tony and Ziva rushed in.

"Boss. We found something at the house." Tony blurted, swinging his backpack onto the floor, and headed to him. Ziva did the same. McGee frowned, and continued.

"I was going through some of the files from the Marine database. The records of aspirins and painkillers in the storage doesn't match the delivery slips." McGee said. "There was an investigation conducted, and some of the medications were recovered. But the street value of those which are still missing would amount up to-"

"Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars?" Tony butted in. McGee looked at him, eyebrows furrowed.

"No. Two times more. Half a million." He replied.

"We only recovered two-fifty from Daniels' house." Tony added.

"So where's the other two-fifty?" Ziva remarked, peering at the other two agents, Gibbs standing in the background. Tony stared at the screen, thinking.

"So let's say Charles Petrelli and Anthony Daniels are ripping off medical supplies. They sell it. In the end, both end up killed, and only half the money is found. Which, also means that-"

"Someone else found out." McGee said.

"In the interviews, there was a name that came up. Ellen McKenzie. She was said to be seen with the two officers _very _often. Almost like a trio." Ziva said. McGee brought up Ellen McKenzie's details on the plasma.

"Petty officer Ellen McKenzie. Comes from a family of Marines. Two brothers, also Marines." McGee said. "CO is _also _Lieutenant Holly Worth. Coworker of Petty Officers Charles Petrelli and Anthony Daniels. Financials are normal for a Marine."

"In other words, a normal, ordinary Marine." Tony said. Ziva smirked.

"As normal as normal can get when your two best friends are murdered." She remarked.

"Good point."

"Okay, wait." Tony said. "Let's _assume _that Ellen has the other two-fifty. So, she's the killer?"

"Or she could be the next victim." Ziva said.

"Ellen McKenzie did not report for work this morning, Boss." McGee called from his desk. He tapped on the keyboard.

"And neither did Lieutenant Holly Worth." Gibbs said. He nodded at McGee. "Trace her cell." McGee started typing rapidly, and everyone was waited. Tony was staring at McGee's fingers.

"I think he has six fingers." He mused to Ziva.

"Boss she's making a call to…" McGee frowned. "Ziva?" Right on cue, Ziva's phone shrilled, and she picked it up, cautiously, pressing the speaker button, and placed the phone on McGee's table.

"Ziva David." There was silence on the other end for a moment. Then, the faint sound of running footsteps. "Hello?"

"Agent David!" a shrill, panting voice shrieked into the phone. Tony jumped. "McKenzie is trying to kill me!" she screamed. "Please, no, no…" she moaned, then the line went dead, a flicker of static.

"If this were a horror film, I would almost believe it." There was no answer from anyone, and Tony actually regretted saying it. Almost.

"McGee." Gibbs said. "Got a location?"

"Yeah boss." He replied, and handed him a piece of paper. Gibbs read it. Everyone waited again. 

"What are you guys waiting for? Let's roll." Gibbs said. Backpacks were pulled up again.

"Autobots. Transform and roll out." Tony chortled, as they headed into the elevator. Ziva smiled, as did McGee, and the elevator doors slid shut.

**A/N Okay, so I didn't add two 'scenes' together for this chapter because the next one is pretty long, so I'm gonna upload them separately:D Do review/follow/favourite (or all three in the Christmas spirit:P )**

**-Eliza:) **


	15. In The Deep, Dark Night

The black sedan sped on like a dark beetle, crawling through the darkness of the night. Gibbs was at the wheel again, as the others pulled on Kevlar vests, checking weapons.

"Why do all these nut jobs choose some dark, isolated place to carry out their equally dark deeds?" Tony grumbled, strapping the Velcro on the vest, which he had pulled over his shirt. The car pulled to a stop, and the agents stepped out, gravel crunching under their boots.

"DiNozzo. You're with me." Gibbs said. "Ziva, you're with McGee. Go round back." They nodded, and ran round the side of the patchwork metal building. Gibbs and Tony waited for their signal, but did not receive any for a while.

"Oh Boss, we've found Holly Worth." McGee's voice came through the earpiece. "She's alive." Gibbs exhaled.

"Ellen McKenzie is nowhere in sight." Ziva said.

"Copy that. McGee, stay with her. Ziva, enter through the back, clear the building." Gibbs said.

"Got it Gibbs." Ziva said solidly.

"On three. One, two, three." Tony kicked in the door, gun leveled, torch in other hand. At the other end, Ziva stood in the doorway, torchlight piercing through the blanket of darkness. Gibbs shone his torch around the facility, which was empty. A phone beeped. Gibbs pulled his out, and answered.

"Yeah Gibbs."

"Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed into her side of the phone. Gibbs held the phone away from his ear until she had finished.

"Yeah Abbs?" he said. Tony continued shining his torch around.

"Remember the fabric you guys brought back from the first crime scene?" Abby asked, in her usual lightning speed. "Well, there were a few prints on it. I ran them through AFIS and other than the prints from the victim, there was one that belonged to Marine Lieutenant Holly Nicole Worth." Any fool could have heard her triumphance.

"Thanks, Abbs. I'll get you a _Caf-pow! _later."

"Make that a _No Caf-Pow! _Gibbs, it's late." Gibbs smiled, and flipped his phone shut. Then a thought struck him, as Ziva joined them. "Lieutenant Worth isn't the victim, she's the killer! McGee? McGee, come in." There was silence.

Ziva and Tony started running across the room. They burst through the door. "Tony, get McGee!" Ziva hollered, taking a leap into the field, and running through it. She could faintly see the Marine running towards the end of the field. She, too, ran, and the gap between them closed slowly.

"Battle of the agencies." Tony whistled, as McGee gave a sudden groan. "Miss Marine, versus Miss NCIS-ex Mossad. Who will win?" the two figures slowly disappeared from sight, as McGee groaned again. "Sorry. How you feeling, McGee?"

"Peachy." He replied, wobbling as he stood up. Tony pulled him up. "Ouch." He said, wiping his hands on his trousers. Tony turned towards the field again, squinting to see the two.

"Well, what hurts?" Tony asked, not turning. There was no answer from McGee, but a thump beside him. Tony turned, and sighed, at the agent lying peacefully on the grass. Of course, McGee had fainted.

Ziva's head was pounding, as she sprinted after the Marine, who was beginning to slow down. There was a road ahead, and she spotted a familiar black sedan. Gibbs. She smiled to herself. Always one step ahead.

She was about to shoot the Lieutenant in the leg, when she noticed the Lieutenant's knee fold a little, as she stepped in a pothole. Like a cat, she leapt onto the Lieutenant, and they hit the ground, Ziva on top of her. Ziva pulled her arms back, and cuffed them.

"You're under arrest for the murders of Petty Officers Charles Petrelli and Anthony Daniels." She snapped, leading her to the road, where Gibbs was waiting, an amused smile on his face. "Gibbs?"

"Ziva?" he replied. Sweat beaded along Ziva's hairline, which met in a sharp widow's peak on her forehead. She wiped the sweat away with the back of her palm, and smiled.

"Book her." Ziva requested. "And is there a bottle of water anywhere?" Gibbs nodded to the trunk.

"In the trunk." He said, before turning to Lieutenant Worth. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be…" his voice echoed out of Ziva's mind, as she emptied half a bottle, the other half going over her hands.

"Guys. You there?" she said. There was a small sound, almost like a whimper, or whine.

"Hey Ziva." Tony said. "I don't know where you are, but it's really dark and creepy down here, and McGee sort of fainted. So could you guys come and get us, please?" Ziva smirked.

"Yeah sure." She said, grinning. "You can sit in the back with Lieutenant Worth. And trust me, she's sweating like hell." Tony groaned. "And is McGee okay?"

"Well, thanks, Ziva." He said, as sarcastically as he could. "He's relatively fine, I think he's sleeping or something."

"DiNozzo." Gibbs said, cutting in on the conversation. There was a moment of silence.

"Oh hey, Boss." Tony said, almost annoyingly cheerful. "Just so you know, McGee's out, and it's really dark, and-"

"I know, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, dismissively. "I'm not deaf either."

Back in the spot behind the warehouse, which looked like a haunted house looming over the empty, silent, road, Tony sat on a patch of grass. He squinted through the darkness across the field, occasional stars lighting up the inky black sky. Beside him, McGee shuddered, and sat up, slowly.

"Hey McGee, welcome back to the land of the living." Tony said, and stopped. "Hey Boss, how about Ellen McKenzie?" there was a muffled swear on the other end, and a screech as the car stopped. Then there was silence, and a pop as an earpiece was removed.

Realization dawned on the two, and they hurriedly pulled out their own earpieces. Just in time, as Gibbs roared: "Where is Petty Officer Ellen McKenzie?" Even though they were holding their earpieces away from their ears, Gibbs' voice was clearly audible.

"Ouch. _That _was loud." Tony remarked, wincing sympathetically. There was a momentary silence, as the agents replaced the earpieces, and they briefly wondered if Gibbs had spoilt another set of wires, it would not be the first time anyway. Then Lieutenant Worth spoke.

"Underneath, we are really excited how Owen's union seems eratic." She said monotonously. Tony and McGee could practically _hear _Gibbs fuming.

"Where. is. she." he repeated.

"I think the daisies are nice this time of year, don't you?" Lieutenant Worth replied airily. Tony could imagine a smug smile playing across Lieutenant Worth's sharp features, Gibbs icy cold Marine glare unable to extinguish it. _That would be a first._

McGee snapped his fingers triumphantly. "I know where she is! Underneath the warehouse! Get it? 'We are really excited how Owen's union seems erratic' w-a-r-e-h-o-u-s-e. Find some daisies, and she's underneath."

"Good work, McGee." Tony said, thumping him on the back. McGee winced. "Sorry. Boss, we're gonna go check it out." Tony pulled McGee to his feet, carefully, and they entered the warehouse, and shone their torches around the interior.

"Tony!" McGee hollered, and the agent ran over. McGee pointed his torch at the short, grey industrial grade tube in the floor.

"Petty Officer Ellen McKenzie! This is NCIS! Are you in there?" Tony hollered. They waited.

"Yes! Please help me!" a scared voice called out. Tony and McGee exchanged looks.

"Boss, we found her." McGee said.

"How are we gonna get her out?" Tony hissed. "We don't have any shovels."

"Thank you, I think I realized that, Tony." McGee hissed back. "We can only use our hands!" Tony frowned, and peeled off his watch.

"Damn." He bent down, and began to scoop dirt from the ground, whining to himself. Something about recently manicured nails. McGee almost laughed as he heard Tony's whines, and started digging a small hole in the ground.

"Don't be such a girl, Tony." McGee said, earning a scowl from his colleague. The conversation in their earpieces began to flicker out, as the dirt began to pile up around them.

"Hey guys." Ziva said, voice sounding faint. "We're going back to the office first, and we'll be back with some equipment for you two." Tony grunted, wiping his forehead, dragging a line of dirt over his face.

"God knows how long that'll take." He groaned. McGee murmured something in response. "What?" McGee turned to face him.

"I've got something." He said. Tony shuffled over to him. McGee had hit a wooden surface, like part of a wooden plank. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Tony rolled his eyes.

"It depends on what you're thinking, McGee." He said, sarcastically, feigning interest and excitement, scooping up more dirt. "You know, I'm not Professor X, and you're not Jean Grey. So, what _are _you thinking?" he managed to say the last sentence pleasantly, and McGee resisted the urge to laugh.

"More towards the line of a coffin." He said. "A wooden coffin." Now it was Tony's turn to smile, and he did.

"What? Does she build things in her basement too?" he said, in another greatly exaggerated tone of shock. "Get'cha DIY coffin at your nearest hardware store today!" he frowned. "That sounds so weird."

"Ya _think_?" McGee growled, mimicking Gibbs, giving his best impression of the Gibbs glare.

"Oh don't go all Gibbs on me." Tony said. Then imitating Ziva in a high, girly voice, which sounded more chipmunk than human. "I can kill you eighteen different ways with this paperclip." They laughed, grabbing more dirt.

**A/N It's just occurred to me that some of you might think that I hate McGee or something, and I don't! Love him LOADS! Thanks so much for reading! Hope you liked this chapter, and do review/follow/favourite! Happy (very very very early) holidays!**

**-Eliza:)**


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